Rib applying machine



March 3, 1959 .lcg ANTELL RIB APPLYINGv MACHINE 2 Sheets-Shree?I l Filed Feb. 11, 1957 ELECTRIC LINE March 3, 1959 J. c. ANTELI.'l

RIB APPLYING MACHINE 2 sheets-sheet. 2

Filed Feb. 1l. 195'? Uniteci States Patent O facturing Company, Lynn, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application February 11, 1957, Serial No. 639,533

14 Claims. (ci. 12-20) This invention relates to the preparation of welt insoles by adhesively attaching the required sewing rib to otherwise ilat insole blanks. The invention comprises a new and improved process of heat sealing the rib stripping to the insole and novel mechanism for carrying out the process. p

` The shoemaking industry constantly demands an adhesive bond or union of rib and insole of greater and `greater strength `and permanence in use as well as a bonding that will unite the rib stripping quickly and securely to insole blanks of synthetic composition which ,replace leather insoles in certain types of footwear.

The present invention ills this longstanding want by l,providing a practical shoemaking process characterized Y,by the employment of heat-activatable cement in securring the rib to the insole. It has been found that the lprocess may be carried out successfullyv by delivering `,heated air to one or both of the opposed faces of an insole and rib stripping as these elements, coated withj` a heat-activatable cement, are brought progressively into engagement. The cement upon the opposed faces of these two elements is thus activated and a permanent heat seal lbond created by pressing them together preferablyas a` part of the work-feeding operation. The machine for carrying out the above process is characterized by rotary means for supporting from be- .neath an insole blank coated with heat-activatable cerment on its upper face and means for guiding rib stripping having a downwardly directed similarlycoated face,

`and directingit progressively into contact with the insole,

in combination with means for directing hot air to either or both of the coated faces of the insole and stripping .0r to the operating instrumentalities of the machine.

As herein shown the guide foot for the rib stripping is utilized for the double function of properly guiding the stripping into Contact with the :sole blank and also of heating the coated faces of the stripping and sole blank i by directing hot air against them.

The machine herein shown includes in its organization an air compressor and a heating unit through which `air `is forced on its `way vthrough the work. In this connection an important feature of thel machine resides in l means for interrupting delivery of hotairA to the work or to the guide footwhen the stripping is not traveling y through the guide `foot or when the sole support is moved m i Fig.v` 2 is a view of the guide foot and associated parts, `the guide foot being shown in elevationand partly in section,`

'f Fig.j3 is an end of the .guide foot.

4 Fig..1 vis a diagrammatic view showing the elements of the selected embodiment in elevation, partlyin section,

Figs. 4 and 5 are views in plan and elevation of the bottom plate of the guide foot,

Fig. 6 is a corresponding end view, and

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view thereof.

In Fig. 1 is shown a portion 10 of the frame of the machine upon which all the elements are mounted. Pivotally attached to the frame is a forwardly extending arm 11 terminating in a hand lever and in this arm is journaled a vsole-supporting roll 12 freely rotatable about a horizontal axis. A vertical rod 13 is connected to the arm 11 and has a compression spring 14 encircling its upper portion. The spring bears at its lower end on a boss 15 projecting from the frame 10 and at its `upper end against a collar 16 adjustable upon the rod. The

spring, therefore, tends at all times to lift the Iarm 11 and to subject to yielding pressure the sole and rib stripping supported thereon. A toggle 16 is alsoY Iconnected to the arm 11 and serves to hold the arm and the roll 12 temporarily in a lower inoperative position when the arm is depressed by the operator at the conclusion of one operation and preparatory to the insertion of fresh work. Cooperating feed feet 17 and guiding mechanism for j rib stripping are supported by the frame at a fixed level vas shown in Fig. l. l

The guiding mechanism for the rib stripping includes a segmental carrier plate 1S located at a fixed level by i connections not shown with the Vframe and supported foi` adjustment about the point 20 at which the rib stripping emerges to make its rst conatct with the underlying sole blank. The lower portion of' the plate 18 is undercut to provide a lower face 19 which constitutes the top of the passage for the rib stripping and this face extends substantially to the point 20 of emergence of the stripping. A back plate 21 is secured to the segmental plate 18` in position to form the rear wall of -the passage as best shown in Fig. 3. A

To the front of the segmental plate 18 is `secured an angle plate 22 `having a horizontal foot portion 23 provided with perforations 24. The foot portion 23 on this plate forms the bottom of the rib strippingpassage as well as the top of a hot air chamber which is an important part of the guide footas a whole. Hot airis supplied to this chamber through a nipple 25 which extends upwardly from the portion 23 of' the angle plate.

A bottom plate or casing 26 is secured by screws to the portion 23 of the angle plate. close an elongated hot air chamber which tapers forwardly and is provided with perfo-rations 27 opening through its bottom face where it makes direct contact `with the cement-coated insole blank 40 "as well shown in Fig. 2. The guide foot as a whole directs the rib stripping 41 to the insole at an inclination of about 30, and the lower wall of the'bottom plate 26 has an inclined portion at substantially the same angleso that its perforated portionshall bear over considerable area upon the sole blank. The portion 23 of the angle plate'and the lower wall of the bottom plate 26 are tapered to present a sharp edge 28 immediately "below the point 20 of the segmental plate 18 and just beyond the varea of the insole heated through the medium of the bottomplate 26. y

A cylindrical heating unit 30 is permanently mounted upon a convenient portion of theframe and provided with a U-shaped elementf31 in circuit with a source of electric power by which it ismaintained at high" tem- .perature The frame also carriesanvair compressorr32 This is shaped to envcement, the coating being indicated in Fig. 2.

. a valve I35 .secured rto the top 'of the frame 1.0.- The valveis operated by an arm 37 which is -connected through a sleeve 38 Vto the top of the rod 13. The-valve 35 has `an outlet to the atmospherev shown as upwardly directed, and an outlet to a pipe 36 which is connected it is delivered continuously upwardly to the rib stripping and downwardly to the coated insole blank 40. However, when the sole support 12 and the arm 11 are moved downwardly to inoperative position and held temporarily in that position by straightening the toggle V16, the valve is operated through the rod 13 to cut off heated air from the pipe 36 and the guide foot and to discharge it temporarily to the atmosphere.

The operation of the machine'will be clear from the `foregoing description. It will `be understood that the insole blank 40 has been provided, before it reaches the machine, with a marginal coating of heat-activatable The liange portionsof the rib stripping have also been similarly coated. These two coated surfaces are activated by heated air and by their contact with the heated surfaces of the portion 23 and the bottom plate 26 as they progress beneath and through the guide foot. As the Vstripping emerges at the point it is immediately'en- 'forms the subject-matter of my co-pending application Serial No. 720,711, filed March 1l, 1958.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail a preferred embodiment thereof, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. A rib applying machine having a sole-supporting member, a strip-guide mounted above it and'having a passage for directing rib stripping to the surface of an `insole on the supporting member, means vfor leading heated air to the passage of the strip-guide to heat lstripping passing therein, and means for directing heated v air to the ysurface of the insole as it approachesr contact with the stripping.

2. In aV rib applying machine a strip-guide having a hollow bottom plate and enclosing a passage Yabove the plate for rib stripping'hot air connections to the bottom plate and'perforations in its lowertace whereby hot air is directed to thesurface of an underlying insole.

3. A strip guide as ldened in claim 2 in which the bottom plate is tapered to a thin edge for engaging the insole.

4. A strip lguide as deiined in claim 4 in which the bottom plate has perforations opening upwardly into the passage for the rib stripping.

5. A strip guide as defined in claim 2 in which the hollow bottom plate has perforations for the escape of lhot air through both its upper and lower faces.

6. A rib applying machine having, in combination, a forwardly tapering strip-guide and sole support movable with respect to each Aother from an inoperative to an operative position in which rib-stripping is presented at Lanacuterangle'by the strip-guide to ya sole on the support, hot air connections `to the strip-guide including a normally closed valve and valve-operating means acting to hold open said valve only while said strip-guide and sole support occupy their operative position.

7. A rib applying machine having a frame, a stripguide mounted thereon at axed level, a sole `support;

mounted beneath the guide, means for movably maintaining the sole support in elevated operative position with respect to the strip-guide, and hot air connections to said guide including a valve connected to the sole support. Y

8. A rib applying machine having a strip-guide mounted at a fixed level and having an elongated closed passage for heating rib stripping as it passes therethrough, air connections to the guide including a heating unit and valve, a sole support beneath said guide, and means for simultaneously lowering the support to inoperative position and closing the valve to cut off .hot air from the guide.

9. A rib applying machine comprising a `strip-guide mounted at a fixed level, a hinged arm carrying a solesupporting roll and holding it in operative relation vwith respect to the strip guide and beneath thesame, .the.stripguide having a hollow bottom plate tapering inwardly toward the roll, hot air connections entering the plate, and exit perforations in its lower surface arranged to discharge hot air upon a sole supported by said roll.,

l0. In a rib applying machine, a sole support and a cooperating strip-guide, the strip-guide having a longitudinal passage for directing rib stripping to a sole on said support and containing a hot air chamberhaving exit apertures directed toward the sole and also toward said passage.

11. In a rib applying machine, means for movably supporting from beneath an insole blank coated with a heat-activatable cement on its upper face, a tapering i guide foot with an inclined passage for guiding rib strip- .to which a rib has been adhesively attached, a guide foot 'for directing cement coated rib stripping to an insole "blank resting on said roll, an air system `for delivering heated air to the .guide foot and including an electric heating unit anda valve located between said unit and "the guide foot, and connections between the toggle and j'valve for'discharging air from the system to the atmosphere when the toggle isstraightened.

13. In a rib applying machine, a rotary sole vsupport anda guide foot for directing rib stripping to a sole'on lsaid support, the guide foot having walls `forming `a het air chamber with an elongated passage for the Vstripping above the chamber and a sole-engaging plate jbelowthe cham-ber, the passage and plate converging to direct Athe emerging stripping into contact with the sole beyondan area of the insole which is heated by said sole-engaging `plate.

of said passage, and hot air connections to said chamber adjacent its larger end.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

